Y&R: Old Articles

[will81]

Oh right, I've never read his book. So few actors on the show have ever said anything bad about him for whatever reason. I will have to look that up. Do you know if Jeanne made much mention of Conboy in her book? Did Brenda in hers?

[kalbir]

@will81 It's been years since I've read Jeanne's book but I don't recall her mentioning anything negative about John Conboy.

Of the Y&R EPs during the Bill Bell years, it seems H. Wesley Kenney is the only one who was well-liked.

[Broderick]

In her little interview with the television archives, Jeanne Cooper says that John Conboy hired her (along with Patricia what's-her-name who was the associate producer back then), and Jeanne says he was suave and debonair and handsome, while Patricia looked like a pastry chef.   Jeanne had nothing but positive things to say about Conboy as the interview continued.  (Bill Bell pretty much hated him, I think, by the time they parted ways.)   

[sheilaforever]

2003 was indeed a pay cut - because they cut her episode guaranatees drastically which Heather Tom saw as a sign that she was supposed to be sidelined - and she would not take that.

[Sapounopera]

Same here. 

[Broderick]

Losing Brenda Dickson in 1987, Eileen Davidson in 1988, and Terry Lester in 1989 definitely resulted in the Abbott orbit being a bit less "quirky" and "colorful" than before, and the characters were likely not as much fun for Bill Bell to write.   Melody Thomas Scott seemed to fill part of the void, and you can't help think Ed Scott was sort of "pimping" the increased reliance on her for story material.   

[kalbir]

@Broderick The departures of BD, ED, TL overlapped w/ Cricket eating the show, but Bill Bell also had a new pet in that era, Cassandra. Looking back, I don't think it was a coincidence that Bill Bell elevated Nina Arvesen to front burner around the time MTS was on pregnancy leave and ED was on the way out.

1989 had Cricket eating the show and Cassandra as front burner, while the rest of the main females (Jill, Katherine, Nikki, Ashley, Traci, Lauren, Nina, Leanna) were given second and third tier storylines. 

[Broderick]

Yes, we can never overstate the prominence of Cricket during that period.  She was injected into every aspect of the show.  Let's just be glad she couldn't sing, lol.  

[Sapounopera]

The thing is Nikki stopped being quirky and colorful after her divorce from Victor. She spent years and years in the ranch, having endless  scenes doing nothing. And yet we were seeing her every day. But I agree that the loss of Dickson, Lester and Davidson gave Scott the chance to promote his wife. 

[kalbir]

delete

Edited August 25, 2023 by kalbir

[ltm1997]

Just came across this ABC Weekend Special episode from 1979 featuring Tracey Bregman as a sister to the main character. I’ve been looking for this for ages!

 

 

[soapfan770]

 

 

I’ve always wondered how Y&R would have been had they kept Nina Arvesen as Cassandra through the whole 90’s. I know Victor and Cassandra were paired together, briefly but if say Cassandra had married Victor instead of Ashley, ho boy that would have been a very tumultuous relationship especially imaging Heather Tom as Victoria dealing with Cassandra as a step mother for years instead. 
 

1989 was interesting year for Y&R as the show was in flux. Certainly it was a monumental year as Phillip III’s death and the loss of Jabot would set the show’s tone for the 90’s, but as you mentioned the main leading ladies really were on the back burner. A divorced Nikki didn’t do much except date Cricket’s dad Jim Grainger lol. Traci was written out after it didn’t work out with Brad and Tim Sullivan’s exit/death(?), BE Ashley had nothing to do, and Jill and Katherine were in a vacuum between Phillip III’s death and the arrival of Marge. Lauren and Jack didn’t work out, and with Brad and Paul preoccupied Lauren settled with third rate Scott. 

 

[kalbir]

@soapfan770 When Bill Bell put Victor in Cassandra's orbit in 1989 it felt like a cat/mouse game and in 1990 it felt like a rebound pairing. I did feel that EB had more of a connection w/ NA than he did w/ BE though. A Victor/Cassandra marriage might have been more 1990s high society/business power couple than genuine love.

On a totally shallow note, EB was anti-aging in 1989 and 1990. I guess getting the show's new pet that's 20 years younger than he is as his new love interest played a part in that.

Go figure 1989 was the year Y&R finally beat General Hospital for #1 overall but I think Y&R's reaching #1 was mainly due to holding on to their audience during the writer's strike, plus the factors of weak time slot competition and strong lead ins The Price is Right or local news.

[soapfan770]

It was always said Brad in a cage propelled Y&R to #1 lol but it occurred at a time when other soaps were also in flux. I’m not sure about the ABC soaps but I recall Y&R’s other nearest competitor Days went into serious creative and ratings decline in 1989. In spite of the soap mags criticism at the time 1990 was stronger year for Y&R which gave way to IMO Y&R’s 2nd golden age of 1991-94. 
 

Cassandra’s final story with the marriage to Brad was utterly bizarre and nonsensical. Bell of course would later try again the femme fatale role with Mari Jo Mason.

[kalbir]

Hahaha Brad in a cage, not one of Bill Bell's finest hours. I remember someone here pointed out that it was sort of a redo of Michael Scott in the dungeon. 

SOD had Y&R as most disappointing in 1990. I thought 1990 was improvement over 1989, mainly because Cricket wasn't eating the show as much.